Froth flotation is an effective process for separating sulphur and fine minerals from coal. Such pre-cleaning of coal is necessary in order to reduce the environmental and operational problems in power plants. The separation depends very much on particle surface properties, and the selectivity can be improved by addition of a reagent. Image analysis can be used to determine the amount of reagent, by using the relation between surface properties and froth bubble sizes. This work reports some improvements in the efficiency of the image analysis, and in determination of bubble diameter distribution towards developing froth-based flotation models. Ultimate benefit of the technique would allow a pre-determined reagent addition profile to be identified for controlling the separation process. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.